New to the forum here. I really want to pick up a Winchester Model 12 Heavy Duck 3". I have a lead on one here at my local shop. On the side of the barrel it reads "Super Speed and Super X." But I didn't see "Heavy Duck" written on it anywhere. Is this a Heavy Duck or not? Should it say Heavy Duck on it?

As said, they are not marked "Heavy Duck"."FOR SUPER SPEED AND SUPER X 3 IN." is the marking for a Heavy Duck Model 12.They were offered with plain barrel, solid rib barrel and very rarely with a vent ribbed barrel.The stock is fitted with a Winchester solid recoil pad and has a lead weight inside to reduce recoil.They weight 8.5 or more pounds.

What do you want to know about the rib barrels? They were offered with solid rib barrels from introduction 1935 through 1957 when the solid rib was dropped. The Heavy Duck was not cataloged with vent ribs, however they were made with vent ribs, likely on special order. Vent rib Heavy Ducks are not common.

Finding a barrel alone would be a lot harder than finding a complete gun with a solid rib barrel. There are plenty solid rib Heavy Ducks available. If you don't want a plain barrel. Look for a solid rib gun.

The solid rib or vent rib variations are collector guns and not worth searching for if you want a shooter. Vent rib guns originally made that way from the factory are very hard to diffentiate from aftermarket vent rib Heavy Ducks. An aftermarket Heavy Duck is a good buy if it is cheap enough.

Ole Cowboy, actually, the "Magnum Duck Gun" was catalogued with the ventilated rib. Check your 1955 catalog where the Winchester Special Ventilated Rib Magnum was pictured and listed as symbol # G1262SV. Since the Special Ventilated Rib was introduced in 1954, this may be the first catalog mention of the "Magnum Duck Gun" with ventilated rib. The pictured gun seems to be a donut post gun. I disagree with the statement that the original vent rib gun would be hard to tell from a Simmons gun. The Simmons rib matting of the era is not similar to the squiggly line matting of the first generation Winchester factory donut post guns. However, I have noticed that there is very little collector interest in original vent rib Model 12 Magnums unless they are in high original condition, a gun not often seen.

Also mentioned as options but not pictured in the 1955 catalog were Magnum Duck Guns with checkered stock and extension slide handle, straight grip stocks, and Pigeon Grade Magnums. I am interested in purchasing a Pigeon Grade Magnum with bad wood if it is priced reasonably. I have an original Pigeon Grade Magnum buttstock that is looking for a home.

The first catalogue offering of a ventilated rib on a Model 12 Magnum Duck Gun was in the January 2, 1954, Winchester catalogue, a "Winchester Special Ventilated Rib," which is a Winchester installed Simmons. The Model 12 Heavy Duck was never catalogued with the "Winchester Ventilated Rib."

The last catalogue appearance of the Model 12 Magnum Duck Gun with the "Winchester Special Ventilated Rib" was in the 1959 catalogue. In the 1960 thru 1963 Winchester catalogues the Model 12 Magnum Duck Gun is only offered with the plain 30-inch barrel.

Up thru the 1950 catalogues they are called the "Model 12 Heavy Duck Gun." In the 1952 and 1953 catalogues it is just "Model 12 Duck Gun" and from 1954 on it is "Model 12 Magnum Duck Gun."

The 1955-1956 HD I Have had in my hands that were real had "park" on top of the receiver and dounut posts. The later round posts HD were not "parked" on top of the receiver made in years 1957-1959. The round post HD are the rarer rib too. The Ernie Simmons produced HD model's either had dounut or square posts but the lack of Winchester Proof marks was the key to not being factory unless Simmons removed the solid rib and replaced with his vent rib. If so a line can be seen down the barrel on both sides of the replaced rib.